Citing checks in Asia, Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty wrote not too long ago that Apple is currently working on a number of HDTV prototypes. While Huberty, not surprisingly, isn’t able to supply more substantial information, she theorizes that an Apple Smart TV, as she dubbed it, could mesh together “TV/Video content, gaming, DVR, as well as other features like apps and FaceTime into one product.”
With all those features in tow, Huberty claims that an HDTV from Apple would be a new category unto itself, with the potential to add an extra $4 billion to Apple’s bottom line for every 1% of the TV market it captures.

This of course isn’t the first instance we’ve heard of Apple supposedly exploring an Apple branded television. Gene Munster has been touting this rumor for some time. Back in February 2009 Munster predicted an Apple HDTV with built-in DVR functionality coupled with the ability to wirelessly sync content from Macs, iPhones, and iPods – the iPad, in case you were wondering, was nothing more than a rumor at that point.

“With its iTunes ecosystem,” Munster wrote, “Apple could develop a unique TV without any set-top-boxes or devices attached.”

Steve Jobs, if you recall, has previously addressed the problems Apple and other companies face in their attempts to infiltrate the digital living room. During the D8 conference held this past June, Hillcrest Labs CEO directly asked Jobs about the difficulties involved in innovating in the television space.

Jobs’ answer was long, but is well worth repeating:

The problem with the television market— the problem with innovation in the television industry is the go to market strategy. The television industry fundamentally has a subsidized business model that gives everybody a set top box for free—or for $10 a month—and that pretty much squashes any opportunity for innovation because nobody’s willing to buy a set top box. Ask Tivo, ask Replay TV, you know, ask Roku, ask VooDoo, ask us, ask Google in a few months.

“So, all you can do—Sony’s tried as well, Panasonic’s tried, a lot of people have tried, they’ve all failed—so all you can do is add a box onto the TV system. You can say, well, gosh, I noticed my HDTV has a bunch of HDMI ports on it, one of them is coming from the set top box, so I’ll just add another little box with another one. Well, you just end up with a table full of remotes, cluster full of boxes, bunch of different UIs, and that’s the situation we have today. The only way that’s ever gonna change is if you can really go back to square one, and tear up the set top box, and re-design it from scratch, with a consistent UI across all these different functions, and get it to the consumer in a way that they’re willing to pay for it. And right now there’s no way to do that.

“So that’s the problem with the TV market. You know, we decided what product do we want the most, a better TV or a better phone? Well, the phone won out, but there was no chance to do a better TV ‘cause there’s no way to get it to market. What do we want more, a tablet or a better TV? Well, probably a tablet, but it doesn’t matter because if we wanted a better TV there’s no way to get it to market. The TV’s gonna lose until there’s a better—until there is a viable—go to market strategy. Otherwise you’re just making another Tivo. Does that make sense to you?

“That’s the fundamental problem. It’s not a problem of technology, it’s not a problem of vision, it’s a fundamental go to market problem.”

So make no mistake about it – an Apple branded HDTV would have to be remarkably compelling to really make an impact in the marketplace. Indeed, and as intimated by Jobs, the very idea of what an Apple HDTV would encompass would have to be so far beyond what is available now for Apple to even seriously consider developing it.

It’s important to remember that the HDTV market is exceedingly competitive ,with razor thin margins to boot. Moreover, and in stark contrast to its success with the iPhone and iPod, Apple would be entering a market where high-quality products, like premium LEDs from Samsung and Sony, are already plentiful.

Apple might be able to squeeze out higher margins on high-def TVs on account of the long-term component deals it likes to make, but again, the software would have to be completely game-changing to have a discernible impact on the marketplace.

But assuming Apple is working on the hardware, what kind of user experience would this as-of-yet vaporware Apple HDTV offer?

Looking at technologies currently deployed by Apple, imagine an Apple HD TV set with built-in AirPlay support along with iTunes integration offering users the ability to rent movies from iTunes and services like Netflix, all without having to purchase a separate set top box. Now that smorgasbord of features is certainly compelling but is it enough to attract consumer interest in a discernable way? An Apple HDTV with built-in Apple TV functionality is certainly interesting, but is it really enough?

Practically, one has to wonder what an Apple branded HDTV would have on Apple’s bottom line. As opposed to other electronics, Television Sets have extremely long shelf lives and users don’t upgrade them nearly as often as they do computers, phones, and other electronic gadgets. If an Apple HDTV is truly in the works, don’t expect long iPad 2 styles lines on launch day.

The fight for living room dominance hasn’t even started. Indeed, all efforts thus far have resulted in failure. With a strong iTunes ecosystem at its disposal, Apple is advanteged in ways that many companies aren’t and can leverage the success and ubiquity of the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad to sneak into the living room through the back door.

4 Comments For This Post

The pure bit of fantasy in envisioning this television, for me, includes a rgb camera/depth calibration function in tandem with the camera that would obviously be included for facetime. Apple has lead the way in pc/tablet/phone/mp3 player for instituting what the most logical UI standards, and using the same technology as Microsofts Kinect in a television will give them their opportunity to pioneer gesture standards. It seems like in this arena it’s more critical that they be first, rather than the “refiners” they can sometimes be, who hang back and learn from the mistakes of others. With gesture, first becomes a standard, and it’s difficult to argue that one way is better than the other. If you want to delete a file, do you make an X with your fingers, or do you smack and rub your hands together? It doesn’t really matter and once you learn one way, there’s no real compelling reason to switch. It’s the new default motion lexicon.
I’d just like to see Apple set the standards in this emerging U/I. It’s a technology that’s got legs that I don’t think Apple can wait on.

you didn’t mention, all the major brands are now building apps into their high-end HDTV’s now. and the proliferation of STB’s in addition to Apple TV that are trying reinvent TV too, like Google TV of course. and everyone has to rely on a CATV/telco/satellite service right now to get all the channels, which makes those guys the gatekeepers that are always in the way and in control of the still important DVR function.

all of which make a me-too Apple HDTV highly unlikely. Apple could just focus on expanding the capabilities of Apple TV and AirPlay instead, as the connector with Apple’s iTunes/iLife/iOS ecosystem.

the only thing Apple could do uniquely with its own HDTV is somehow fully integrate it with the iPad and other iOS devices. and i don’t even know what that would mean.

or it could just license Apple TV to be built inside other OEM’s HDTV’s. it already is licensing AirPlay. but the big brands like Sony and Samsung don’t want to use Apple’s ecosystem, they want to trap their buyers in their own. and Apple doesn’t do deals with lower tier companies.

so i just don’t see an Apple HDTV coming. i do however see a much more powerful Apple TV software update coming this year – with apps and tighter iOS integration.

I guess if there’s a market for those higher-priced 3D TVs, then Apple might as well take the plunge. Unfortunately, Apple likely won’t supply any onboard storage and I don’t like the idea of that. If I shed my cable box, I’d still like to store some TV shows I can’t watch immediately, so I’d need to buy some recording device which will be another box and another remote. I doubt I’ll be dropping broadband, though, now that I’ll be able to get Verizon FiOS which will be less expensive than the TimeWarner crap I’ve been using for umpteen years.

I don’t think any HDTV that Apple offers would be compelling to me unless it runs iOS apps. And even if it does, chances are the processor will be too slow after two years and then what. Every TV I’ve owned I’ve had at least 10 years. I honestly don’t see Apple doing this HDTV thing unless they’ve got something I can’t even imagine and knowing Steve, that could very well be the case. Good luck to Apple if they can get more revenue every quarter, because they already need as much as they can get as their share price is already collapsing.

I just don’t see it. The margin in TVs is far too small – and Apple’s value added makes up only a tiny portion of the total price.

I COULD see Apple licensing something like the AppleTV to TV set makers – which would increase Apple’s presence in the living room without requiring Apple to sell a low margin product. Or perhaps Apple could sell something that fits into the cable TV slot in a lot of TVs. But an entire TV? Not likely.